This post is inspired by an episode on How I Met Your Mother entitled “Unfinished”

Ted: Unfinished. Gaudí, to his credit, never gave up on his dream. But that’s not usually how it goes. Usually it isn’t a speeding bus that keeps the brown, pointy, wierd church from getting built. Most of the time it’s just too difficult, too expensinve, too scary. It’s only once you’ve stopped that you realise how hard it is to start again, so you force yourself not to want it. But it’s always there. And until you finish it, it will always be….

Unfinished.

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This episode is something in which I could relate to because of the depth in which it talks to me.

Ted Mosby an architect, had a dream to built a skyscraper in the center of New York had his dream taken away from him because of a company’s decision to scrap the project. That decision to scrap the project made him heartbroken. But instead of allowing himself to try again, he retreated himself.

He told himself that that dream doesn’t mean very much to him and that letting go of that dream is better because he is happy. Happy to just accept that his dream would not be fulfilled and that he would rather run away from his dreams then confront it. To avoid it as he had been disappointed about not fulfilling his dream.

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I could relate so much to the scenario because I often face the same problem. I would want something so badly and then when I fail to achieve it, it is so convenient and less painful to admit that it didn’t really matter to me.

It could be a dream, goal or a relationship. (I have experienced disappointment in all three so perhaps I could relate easily to all of them)

It takes a lot of courage to finish up something. A lot of courage to be truthful to ourselves. About how important something is to us. It could be a dream we want fulfill. It could a relationship which we so badly want. It could be a conversation with someone which we really have.

It’s natural for us to suffer from disappointments with things that happen in our lives. We all face them time to time.

But it takes wisdom to really face our disappointments and pain which we have deep down.

Rather than putting up a mask and just acting as if something doesn’t matter to us, we should instead put in more time in just trying to make things work. Many people rather put on facades on who they are. They put on a “happy person” mask, “cute person” mask, “joyful person” mask, “carefree person” mask. All these masks helps us to conceal from other the pain which we suffer but no matter what happens, the pain is still there.

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It this episode as well, there is a mention on the Sagrada Familia. The Sagrada Familia was a story which I have read a few years back.

It mentions about how this architect, Antoni Gaudi finished only about a quarter of the Sagrada Familia project. Up until now, this project has not been completed although it started more than a century ago.

Read it up if you are keen on architecture and on history. Really interesting read.

I am currently on a heavy dose of “futurism”. Futurism is this condition where the mind is extremely tensed and looking for the future for fulfillment and happiness. It is the mind which constantly plans things. It is the mind which constantly looks for things in the future. It looks to increase more things in order to feel more secure. It’s taught to set goals and to create plans.

The futuristic mind looks for things to do or material items to have. It might be a new car, a new house, more money in the bank, a new activity to try, having a better education, having sex and even writing (as you can see what I am doing). It trys to run away from the present by doing something else.

It believes that by having something else, life would be better for it. So it set forth to find it, believing that by having it inner peace would come. It doesn’t know that behind that search is a sense of anxiety behind it.

Attached with any plans and goals are feelings of insecurity. It is the feeling of trying to proof our self-worth. It is the feeling of anxiety and being stressed for it wants to know what the future is like. It wants to control things in a manner that it feels justifiable.

It doesn’t realize that all its search are meaningless. It doesn’t know that you can never get to a place of security on an insecure footing. It doesn’t know that you can never get to somewhere which you want unless you feel it from within first

The futuristic mind feels insecure. It’s driven by the need to please others, to proof something to others, to get something. It makes an individual restless and tired because he is constantly striving for something new.

Personal development books advocate such things as well. It advocates such advices like setting goals and creating plans; all of which create anxiety. It is a situation where individuals care more about achievement than enjoyment. Individuals suffer when they put achievement above all else.

This futuristic mind causes illness in which we don’t realize. It creates stress and stress is the cause of many illness.

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Are you allowing your futuristic mind to dominate your life?

Why do you need a new car/house, a girlfriend, to get married, more money?

Because you hate the present moment so much and  you feel so insecure? Why can’t you enjoy now?

Feel the feelings of insecurity within you. Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself why. Do a reflection.

Do you want to continue to live such? In a constant state of futurism?

Learn to find all that you want in the present moment; because that’s all there ever is.